The invention relates to a parking violation recording system. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for quickly recording multiple traffic violations.
The standard practice of issuing parking violations in most urban areas involves the use of officials, commonly known as xe2x80x9cmeter-maidsxe2x80x9d. They scour the streets in search of a violator. Once a violating vehicle is located, the official must exit their vehicle (if not on foot), record important vehicular information, and write out a written acknowledgment of the violationxe2x80x94commonly known as xe2x80x9ca ticketxe2x80x9d.
One of the main limitations of this process is that considerable time must be spent by the official to write up the violation. This time would be more productively used scouring the streets for another violator. In addition, parking violations officials frequently happen upon a street where numerous vehicles are simultaneously violating. Once the official starts xe2x80x9cwriting upxe2x80x9d one vehicle. The owners of the other vehicles quickly catch on, and exit the scene before a violation can be issued to them.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.
It is an object of the invention to provide a parking violation recording system which allows parking violations to be quickly recorded and issued to violating vehicles. Accordingly, the system photographically records the vehicles identity so that a violation can be issued.
It is another object of the invention to provide a parking violation recording system which allows multiple parking violations to be quickly recorded. Accordingly, the photographic vehicle identification aspect of the present invention requires minimal time, so that another violating vehicle can be quickly identified by the system shortly thereafter.
It is a further object of the invention to immediately notify the vehicle owner that a violation has occurred, and then provide a formal notification thereafter. Accordingly, a receipt sticker is generated, which is placed on the vehicle windshield if time permits, and a formal violation is mailed to the registered owner several days later.
It is a still further object of the invention that the identification of the vehicle also serves as evidence of the violation. Accordingly, the identifying photographs may also show the vehicle illegally parked, and are encoded with time and date information, as well as codes for the type of violation.
The invention is a parking violation recording system, for recording parking violations committed by violating vehicles, using an official vehicle having cameras located along the passenger side and along the driver side near the front and rear of the official vehicle. The operator of the official vehicle positions said vehicle substantially alongside the violating vehicle, and views images from the cameras on a display unit within the official vehicle. Once satisfied with the content of the images, the recording system acquires the images at the operator""s request, and creates a data record memorializing the violation. Numerous data records are stored in image memory for later retrieval.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects the invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the claims.